Repeal of charter school law welcomed by secondary teachers

The government’s support for quality public education has been demonstrated today with the passage of the bill repealing charter schools.

“A public education system which is delivered and owned by the citizens of this country is the best possible way to ensure fair, high quality outcomes for young people,”says PPTA president Jack Boyle.

The third reading of the Education Amendment Bill (2018) is a final farewell for a model that undermined public responsibility for education, and is a victory against privatisation and corporatisation of schools.

“Secondary teachers were clear that the issue we had with charter schools was the model and the damage that it would do to the system as a whole.”

The previous government pushed ahead with this against the recommendations of experts in education and the united voice of the sector.

Today’s removal of the model is what PPTA campaigned for over the last six years.

“The global evidence is clear that charter schools don’t lead to better outcomes for students in the long term, and undermine equity and social cohesion, which are critical goals for an education system. We look forward to the government redoubling its commitment to giving all students in Aotearoa the opportunity of the best public education in the world, which is no less than they deserve.”